In a turbulent ocean environment, the interplay of wave height, currents, wind, and swell presents significant challenges for any device. For an Ocean Glider, which relies on wave energy for navigation and long-duration observation missions, maintaining a stable track in such complex environments is a key technical requirement.
Our Ocean Glider utilizes a high-precision wave monitoring and attitude control system based on a nine-axis MEMS-IMU inertial navigation unit. This system senses the glider's three-dimensional attitude changes, including pitch, roll, and heading, in real time, and uses intelligent algorithms to adaptively correct them, enabling the device to maintain a stable course and attitude even in challenging sea conditions with intertwined winds and waves.
In terms of structural design, our glider's exterior features a balanced layout with a low center of gravity and a high buoyancy ratio. The streamlined hull not only reduces disturbances caused by water impact but also automatically adjusts its buoyancy angle when subjected to wave action, achieving passive stability. Powered by an STM32 microprocessor and ocean dynamics algorithms, the system calculates external hydrodynamic changes in real time and fine-tunes the gliding path through the wave-powered drive, ensuring precise and controllable trajectory.
In addition, the glider's internal algorithm integrates inertial navigation and wave dynamic compensation technology. By correcting for wave acceleration and velocity integral errors, the system effectively eliminates drift and cumulative errors commonly encountered during long-term operation. Even in swells with a spectrum as low as 0.04Hz, the Ocean Glider can stably acquire accurate wave spectrum and energy distribution data, ensuring data continuity and comparability.
Unlike traditional devices that rely on fuel or batteries for power, our Ocean Glider relies on a self-powered wave energy system. Wave energy is converted into electricity through a mechanical conversion unit, continuously powering the inertial navigation, sensors, and communication modules. This energy recovery mechanism enables the glider to operate stably and for extended periods in complex sea conditions without frequent maintenance, achieving truly "zero-energy, long-term endurance."
At the application level, this stable track capability enables the Ocean Glider to be widely used in oceanographic research, climate observation, military and civilian mapping, disaster warning, and other fields. Whether navigating the high waves of the South China Sea during typhoon season or the complex waters of the Arctic Ocean, the glider can complete its missions with a stable posture, providing scientists with continuous and accurate data support.